Heavy computer use linked to glaucoma: study

[Starbucks]

PARIS (AFP) - Heavy users of computers, especially those who are short-sighted, may be at risk from glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness, a study published in a specialist journal on Tuesday says.

Japanese doctors assessed the sight of more than 10,200 Japanese workers, measuring them for visual acuity and signs of glaucoma.

The volunteers were also asked to fill in questionnaires about their computer use, at home or in the office, and any history of eye disease.

A total of 165 workers, or 1.6 percent, turned out to have suspected glaucoma, characterised by tunnel vision or blind spots.

Those who were heavy computer users -- defined as working onscreen more than eight hours a day -- were twice as likely to have glaucoma than light or medium users.

In addition, of the 165 with glaucoma, 136 had myopia.

The study appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, published by the British Medical Association (BMA).

Glaucoma is a slow, gradual disease of the optic nerve that often goes undetected. Among the identified risk factors are smoking and high blood pressure.

The authors speculate that the optic nerve in short-sighted people may be more vulnerable to computer stress than in normal-sighted people.

If so, that would be dramatic news, given that so many hundreds of millions of people around the world now work at computer terminals, at work and at home.

They stress though that the study has limitations, notably in that most of the volunteers were male and this may have skewed the outcome. Further work is needed to probe the suspected link, they say.

They didn't include if the same results applies to LCD monitors. That's what I want to know.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/041115/323/f6ofj.html

[cyu]

My eyes!

[Cognition]

If you can't read this news article, you may be affected. We advise you see a doctor,

[gaekwad2]

If you can't read this post it's already too late.

[CaboWaboAddict]

...especially those who are short-sighted,...

So if you don't have the ability to forsee the future, you go blind? LMAO